May 21, 2006

I love golf

Friday afternoon, me and three buddies played in a golf outing to support a local sports club. It's the fourth year in a row I've played, the second with my buddies. It was a fairly decent day -- the rain in the morning worried me somewhat, especially since the first outing in which the four of us played was like playing in Bangladesh during peak monsoon season. But, alas, all that really pained us was the occasional [high] gust of wind.

What it is about golf? For me, it's hitting those dead-on shots -- the drive right down the middle, the 120 yard pitching wedge shot to within 10 feet, the chip from just off the green to within a few inches -- that brings me back time after time.

To be sure, those dead-on shots aren't exactly frequent! But they happen enough to offset the miserable shots. You know -- the topped drive that goes like ten feet right into the bern, the skulled 100 yard sand wedge that sails over the green into the woods, the putt downhill that rolls off the green and ends up farther from the hole than when you started.

The tournament was a "scramble" format. This means you get to play the best shot of your foursome (but you must select at least two drives from each player). You would expect some pretty low scoring given this, and indeed, the winning squad posted a 12-under par 58. Our team was a mere 3-under par 67. But, our average handicap is about a 20 (I'm about a 17), so we were pretty satisfied. What I wasn't satisfied with was not winning any friggin' door prizes afterwards!!

Oh well. I did "beat the pro" on one of the par 3s. Here, if your shot was closer to the pin than the pro, the club would double your bet money in the form of a pro shop gift certificate. I was like, "Hell, no! Me? Closer than the pro? Chee-yeah!" Ah, but you see, there was a catch -- and not in the pro's favor. One of our group got to pull a card from a deck of cards. Based on the card pulled, the pro would have to hit that number club. A king would be a driver, a queen a 3-wood, etc. Wouldnt'cha know it but the female contingent of our team picks the card ... and it's a king!! For those not very familiar with the game, the driver is the most powerful club in the bag -- the one Tiger Woods uses to hit a ball over 350 yards. But this hole was only playing 135 yards! So, the pro teed up and ... knocked the ball only slightly off the green! A remarkable shot, considering the club, but hey -- he's the friggin' pro! Anyway, I had bet $10 (before the card selection and pro's shot, by the way). I selected an 8 iron and let 'er rip. Amazingly, the ball landed within 15 feet of the hole. My $10 became a $20 gift certificate, which then became a new golf glove which I sorely needed.

Between that, the fun of banter among good friends, the warm feeling of those occasional great shots, good food, and ... the beer cart, it was a fine day.

For those into golf, be sure to check out Fritz Schranck's [Delaware-based] website, Sneaking Suspicions. He writes about golf every now and then on his blog, but links to golf articles he writes for other media outlets. Like here, for example!